103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2023 and 2024
HB2716

 

Introduced 2/16/2023, by Rep. Nabeela Syed

 

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
 
10 ILCS 5/1-3  from Ch. 46, par. 1-3
10 ILCS 5/16-3  from Ch. 46, par. 16-3
10 ILCS 5/16-4.2 new
10 ILCS 5/17-11  from Ch. 46, par. 17-11
10 ILCS 5/17-18  from Ch. 46, par. 17-18
10 ILCS 5/17-18.2 new
10 ILCS 5/18-5  from Ch. 46, par. 18-5
10 ILCS 5/18-9  from Ch. 46, par. 18-9

    Amends the Election Code. Provides that members of the General Assembly and the offices of Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, Secretary of State, Comptroller, and Treasurer shall be elected by ranked-choice voting. Provides for ranked-choice ballots to be produced. Provides that voters may rank their choice for candidates for those offices and provides for interpretations of certain ballot marks. Provides that tallying ranked-choice votes proceeds in rounds. Provides that in each round, the number of votes for each continuing candidate must be counted, that each continuing ballot counts as one vote for its highest-ranked continuing candidate for that round, and that exhausted ballots are not counted for any continuing candidate. Provides that if only 2 candidates remain, the candidate with the higher vote total wins, and that if more than 2 candidates remain, the last-place candidate is eliminated and another round of tallying is to commence. Provides that rounds continue until a winner is found. Makes conforming changes.


LRB103 29632 BMS 56028 b

 

 

A BILL FOR

 

HB2716LRB103 29632 BMS 56028 b

1    AN ACT concerning elections.
 
2    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3represented in the General Assembly:
 
4    Section 5. The Election Code is amended by changing
5Sections 1-3, 16-3, 17-11, 17-18, 18-5, and 18-9 and by adding
6Sections 16-4.2 and 17-18.2 as follows:
 
7    (10 ILCS 5/1-3)  (from Ch. 46, par. 1-3)
8    Sec. 1-3. As used in this Act, unless the context
9otherwise requires:
10    1. "Election" includes the submission of all questions of
11public policy, propositions, and all measures submitted to
12popular vote, and includes primary elections when so indicated
13by the context.
14    2. "Regular election" means the general, general primary,
15consolidated and consolidated primary elections regularly
16scheduled in Article 2A. The even numbered year municipal
17primary established in Article 2A is a regular election only
18with respect to those municipalities in which a primary is
19required to be held on such date.
20    3. "Special election" means an election not regularly
21recurring at fixed intervals, irrespective of whether it is
22held at the same time and place and by the same election
23officers as a regular election.

 

 

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1    4. "General election" means the biennial election at which
2members of the General Assembly are elected. "General primary
3election", "consolidated election" and "consolidated primary
4election" mean the respective elections or the election dates
5designated and established in Article 2A of this Code.
6    5. "Municipal election" means an election or primary,
7either regular or special, in cities, villages, and
8incorporated towns; and "municipality" means any such city,
9village or incorporated town.
10    6. "Political or governmental subdivision" means any unit
11of local government, or school district in which elections are
12or may be held. "Political or governmental subdivision" also
13includes, for election purposes, Regional Boards of School
14Trustees, and Township Boards of School Trustees.
15    7. The word "township" and the word "town" shall apply
16interchangeably to the type of governmental organization
17established in accordance with the provisions of the Township
18Code. The term "incorporated town" shall mean a municipality
19referred to as an incorporated town in the Illinois Municipal
20Code, as now or hereafter amended.
21    8. "Election authority" means a county clerk or a Board of
22Election Commissioners.
23    9. "Election Jurisdiction" means (a) an entire county, in
24the case of a county in which no city board of election
25commissioners is located or which is under the jurisdiction of
26a county board of election commissioners; (b) the territorial

 

 

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1jurisdiction of a city board of election commissioners; and
2(c) the territory in a county outside of the jurisdiction of a
3city board of election commissioners. In each instance
4election jurisdiction shall be determined according to which
5election authority maintains the permanent registration
6records of qualified electors.
7    10. "Local election official" means the clerk or secretary
8of a unit of local government or school district, as the case
9may be, the treasurer of a township board of school trustees,
10and the regional superintendent of schools with respect to the
11various school officer elections and school referenda for
12which the regional superintendent is assigned election duties
13by The School Code, as now or hereafter amended.
14    11. "Judges of election", "primary judges" and similar
15terms, as applied to cases where there are 2 sets of judges,
16when used in connection with duties at an election during the
17hours the polls are open, refer to the team of judges of
18election on duty during such hours; and, when used with
19reference to duties after the closing of the polls, refer to
20the team of tally judges designated to count the vote after the
21closing of the polls and the holdover judges designated
22pursuant to Section 13-6.2 or 14-5.2. In such case, where,
23after the closing of the polls, any act is required to be
24performed by each of the judges of election, it shall be
25performed by each of the tally judges and by each of the
26holdover judges.

 

 

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1    12. "Petition" of candidacy as used in Sections 7-10 and
27-10.1 shall consist of a statement of candidacy, candidate's
3statement containing oath, and sheets containing signatures of
4qualified primary electors bound together.
5    13. "Election district" and "precinct", when used with
6reference to a 30-day residence requirement, means the
7smallest constituent territory in which electors vote as a
8unit at the same polling place in any election governed by this
9Act.
10    14. "District" means any area which votes as a unit for the
11election of any officer, other than the State or a unit of
12local government or school district, and includes, but is not
13limited to, legislative, congressional and judicial districts,
14judicial circuits, county board districts, municipal and
15sanitary district wards, school board districts, and
16precincts.
17    15. "Question of public policy" or "public question" means
18any question, proposition or measure submitted to the voters
19at an election dealing with subject matter other than the
20nomination or election of candidates and shall include, but is
21not limited to, any bond or tax referendum, and questions
22relating to the Constitution.
23    16. "Ordinance providing the form of government of a
24municipality or county pursuant to Article VII of the
25Constitution" includes ordinances, resolutions and petitions
26adopted by referendum which provide for the form of

 

 

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1government, the officers or the manner of selection or terms
2of office of officers of such municipality or county, pursuant
3to the provisions of Sections 4, 6 or 7 of Article VII of the
4Constitution.
5    17. "List" as used in Sections 4-11, 4-22, 5-14, 5-29,
66-60, and 6-66 shall include a computer tape or computer disc
7or other electronic data processing information containing
8voter information.
9    18. "Accessible" means accessible to persons with
10disabilities and elderly individuals for the purpose of voting
11or registration, as determined by rule of the State Board of
12Elections.
13    19. "Elderly" means 65 years of age or older.
14    20. "Person with a disability" means a person having a
15temporary or permanent physical disability.
16    21. "Leading political party" means one of the two
17political parties whose candidates for governor at the most
18recent three gubernatorial elections received either the
19highest or second highest average number of votes. The
20political party whose candidates for governor received the
21highest average number of votes shall be known as the first
22leading political party and the political party whose
23candidates for governor received the second highest average
24number of votes shall be known as the second leading political
25party.
26    22. "Business day" means any day in which the office of an

 

 

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1election authority, local election official or the State Board
2of Elections is open to the public for a minimum of 7 hours.
3    23. "Homeless individual" means any person who has a
4nontraditional residence, including, but not limited to, a
5shelter, day shelter, park bench, street corner, or space
6under a bridge.
7    24. "Signature" means a name signed in ink or in digitized
8form. This definition does not apply to a nominating or
9candidate petition or a referendum petition.
10    25. "Intelligent mail barcode tracking system" means a
11printed trackable barcode attached to the return business
12reply envelope for mail-in ballots under Article 19 or Article
1320 that allows an election authority to determine the date the
14envelope was mailed in absence of a postmark.
15    26. "Office elected by ranked-choice voting" means any
16member of the General Assembly, as well as the offices of
17Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, Secretary of
18State, Comptroller, and Treasurer. These offices shall only be
19elected by ranked-choice voting during a general or special
20election, and not during a primary, consolidated primary, or
21similar election.
22(Source: P.A. 99-143, eff. 7-27-15; 99-522, eff. 6-30-16.)
 
23    (10 ILCS 5/16-3)  (from Ch. 46, par. 16-3)
24    Sec. 16-3. (a) Except as provided in Section 16-4.2 of
25this Code, the The names of all candidates to be voted for in

 

 

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1each election district or precinct shall be printed on one
2ballot, except as is provided in Sections 16-6.1 and 21-1.01
3of this Code Act and except as otherwise provided in this Code
4Act with respect to the odd year regular elections and the
5emergency referenda; all nominations of any political party
6being placed under the party appellation or title of such
7party as designated in the certificates of nomination or
8petitions. The names of all independent candidates shall be
9printed upon the ballot in a column or columns under the
10heading "independent" arranged under the names or titles of
11the respective offices for which such independent candidates
12shall have been nominated and so far as practicable, the name
13or names of any independent candidate or candidates for any
14office shall be printed upon the ballot opposite the name or
15names of any candidate or candidates for the same office
16contained in any party column or columns upon said ballot. The
17ballot shall contain no other names, except that in cases of
18electors for President and Vice-President of the United
19States, the names of the candidates for President and
20Vice-President may be added to the party designation and words
21calculated to aid the voter in his choice of candidates may be
22added, such as "Vote for one," "Vote for not more than three."
23If no candidate or candidates file for an office and if no
24person or persons file a declaration as a write-in candidate
25for that office, then below the title of that office the
26election authority instead shall print "No Candidate". When an

 

 

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1electronic voting system is used which utilizes a ballot label
2booklet, the candidates and questions shall appear on the
3pages of such booklet in the order provided by this Code; and,
4in any case where candidates for an office appear on a page
5which does not contain the name of any candidate for another
6office, and where less than 50% of the page is utilized, the
7name of no candidate shall be printed on the lowest 25% of such
8page. On the back or outside of the ballot, so as to appear
9when folded, shall be printed the words "Official Ballot",
10followed by the designation of the polling place for which the
11ballot is prepared, the date of the election and a facsimile of
12the signature of the election authority who has caused the
13ballots to be printed. The ballots shall be of plain white
14paper, through which the printing or writing cannot be read.
15However, ballots for use at the nonpartisan and consolidated
16elections may be printed on different color paper, except blue
17paper, whenever necessary or desirable to facilitate
18distinguishing between ballots for different political
19subdivisions. In the case of nonpartisan elections for
20officers of a political subdivision, unless the statute or an
21ordinance adopted pursuant to Article VII of the Constitution
22providing the form of government therefor requires otherwise,
23the column listing such nonpartisan candidates shall be
24printed with no appellation or circle at its head. The party
25appellation or title, or the word "independent" at the head of
26any column provided for independent candidates, shall be

 

 

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1printed in letters not less than one-fourth of an inch in
2height and a circle one-half inch in diameter shall be printed
3at the beginning of the line in which such appellation or title
4is printed, provided, however, that no such circle shall be
5printed at the head of any column or columns provided for such
6independent candidates. The names of candidates shall be
7printed in letters not less than one-eighth nor more than
8one-fourth of an inch in height, and at the beginning of each
9line in which a name of a candidate is printed a square shall
10be printed, the sides of which shall be not less than
11one-fourth of an inch in length. However, the names of the
12candidates for Governor and Lieutenant Governor on the same
13ticket shall be printed within a bracket and a single square
14shall be printed in front of the bracket. The list of
15candidates of the several parties and any such list of
16independent candidates shall be placed in separate columns on
17the ballot in such order as the election authorities charged
18with the printing of the ballots shall decide; provided, that
19the names of the candidates of the several political parties,
20certified by the State Board of Elections to the several
21county clerks shall be printed by the county clerk of the
22proper county on the official ballot in the order certified by
23the State Board of Elections. Any county clerk refusing,
24neglecting or failing to print on the official ballot the
25names of candidates of the several political parties in the
26order certified by the State Board of Elections, and any

 

 

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1county clerk who prints or causes to be printed upon the
2official ballot the name of a candidate, for an office to be
3filled by the Electors of the entire State, whose name has not
4been duly certified to him upon a certificate signed by the
5State Board of Elections shall be guilty of a Class C
6misdemeanor.
7    (b) When an electronic voting system is used which
8utilizes a ballot card, on the inside flap of each ballot card
9envelope there shall be printed a form for write-in voting
10which shall be substantially as follows:
11
WRITE-IN VOTES
12    (See card of instructions for specific information.
13Duplicate form below by hand for additional write-in votes.)  
14     .............................  
15     Title of Office
16(   ) .............................  
17     Name of Candidate
18    Write-in lines equal to the number of candidates for which
19a voter may vote shall be printed for an office only if one or
20more persons filed declarations of intent to be write-in
21candidates or qualify to file declarations to be write-in
22candidates under Sections 17-16.1 and 18-9.1 when the
23certification of ballot contains the words "OBJECTION
24PENDING".
25    (c) When an electronic voting system is used which uses a
26ballot sheet, the instructions to voters on the ballot sheet

 

 

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1shall refer the voter to the card of instructions for specific
2information on write-in voting. Below each office appearing on
3such ballot sheet there shall be a provision for the casting of
4a write-in vote. Write-in lines equal to the number of
5candidates for which a voter may vote shall be printed for an
6office only if one or more persons filed declarations of
7intent to be write-in candidates or qualify to file
8declarations to be write-in candidates under Sections 17-16.1
9and 18-9.1 when the certification of ballot contains the words
10"OBJECTION PENDING".
11    (d) When such electronic system is used, there shall be
12printed on the back of each ballot card, each ballot card
13envelope, and the first page of the ballot label when a ballot
14label is used, the words "Official Ballot," followed by the
15number of the precinct or other precinct identification, which
16may be stamped, in lieu thereof and, as applicable, the number
17and name of the township, ward or other election district for
18which the ballot card, ballot card envelope, and ballot label
19are prepared, the date of the election and a facsimile of the
20signature of the election authority who has caused the ballots
21to be printed. The back of the ballot card shall also include a
22method of identifying the ballot configuration such as a
23listing of the political subdivisions and districts for which
24votes may be cast on that ballot, or a number code identifying
25the ballot configuration or color coded ballots, except that
26where there is only one ballot configuration in a precinct,

 

 

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1the precinct identification, and any applicable ward
2identification, shall be sufficient. Ballot card envelopes
3used in punch card systems shall be of paper through which no
4writing or punches may be discerned and shall be of sufficient
5length to enclose all voting positions. However, the election
6authority may provide ballot card envelopes on which no
7precinct number or township, ward or other election district
8designation, or election date are preprinted, if space and a
9preprinted form are provided below the space provided for the
10names of write-in candidates where such information may be
11entered by the judges of election. Whenever an election
12authority utilizes ballot card envelopes on which the election
13date and precinct is not preprinted, a judge of election shall
14mark such information for the particular precinct and election
15on the envelope in ink before tallying and counting any
16write-in vote written thereon. If some method of insuring
17ballot secrecy other than an envelope is used, such
18information must be provided on the ballot itself.
19    (e) In the designation of the name of a candidate on the
20ballot, the candidate's given name or names, initial or
21initials, a nickname by which the candidate is commonly known,
22or a combination thereof, may be used in addition to the
23candidate's surname. If a candidate has changed his or her
24name, whether by a statutory or common law procedure in
25Illinois or any other jurisdiction, within 3 years before the
26last day for filing the petition for nomination, nomination

 

 

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1papers, or certificate of nomination for that office,
2whichever is applicable, then (i) the candidate's name on the
3ballot must be followed by "formerly known as (list all prior
4names during the 3-year period) until name changed on (list
5date of each such name change)" and (ii) the petition, papers,
6or certificate must be accompanied by the candidate's
7affidavit stating the candidate's previous names during the
8period specified in (i) and the date or dates each of those
9names was changed; failure to meet these requirements shall be
10grounds for denying certification of the candidate's name for
11the ballot or removing the candidate's name from the ballot,
12as appropriate, but these requirements do not apply to name
13changes resulting from adoption to assume an adoptive parent's
14or parents' surname, marriage or civil union to assume a
15spouse's surname, or dissolution of marriage or civil union or
16declaration of invalidity of marriage or civil union to assume
17a former surname or a name change that conforms the
18candidate's name to his or her gender identity. No other
19designation such as a political slogan, title, or degree or
20nickname suggesting or implying possession of a title, degree
21or professional status, or similar information may be used in
22connection with the candidate's surname. For purposes of this
23Section, a "political slogan" is defined as any word or words
24expressing or connoting a position, opinion, or belief that
25the candidate may espouse, including, but not limited to, any
26word or words conveying any meaning other than that of the

 

 

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1personal identity of the candidate. A candidate may not use a
2political slogan as part of his or her name on the ballot,
3notwithstanding that the political slogan may be part of the
4candidate's name.
5    (f) The State Board of Elections, a local election
6official, or an election authority shall remove any
7candidate's name designation from a ballot that is
8inconsistent with subsection (e) of this Section. In addition,
9the State Board of Elections, a local election official, or an
10election authority shall not certify to any election authority
11any candidate name designation that is inconsistent with
12subsection (e) of this Section.
13    (g) If the State Board of Elections, a local election
14official, or an election authority removes a candidate's name
15designation from a ballot under subsection (f) of this
16Section, then the aggrieved candidate may seek appropriate
17relief in circuit court.
18    Where voting machines or electronic voting systems are
19used, the provisions of this Section may be modified as
20required or authorized by Article 24 or Article 24A, whichever
21is applicable.
22    Nothing in this Section shall prohibit election
23authorities from using or reusing ballot card envelopes which
24were printed before January 1, 1986 (the effective date of
25Public Act 84-820) this amendatory Act of 1985.
26(Source: P.A. 102-15, eff. 6-17-21; revised 2-28-22.)
 

 

 

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1    (10 ILCS 5/16-4.2 new)
2    Sec. 16-4.2. Ranked-choice ballots.
3    (a) For an election for an office elected by ranked-choice
4voting that has more than 2 choices, the ballot shall be laid
5out to allow the voter to rank the candidates for an office in
6order of preference. Space shall be provided for a voter to
7include one write-in candidate if he or she desires. The
8ballot shall be as simple and easy to understand as possible.
9Any ballot laid out in such a manner shall be tallied in
10accordance with Section 17-18.2 of this Code.
11    (b) All other requirements of this Article apply with
12regards to ballots for offices elected by ranked-choice voting
13to the extent that they do not contradict the provisions of
14this amendatory Act of the 103rd General Assembly.
 
15    (10 ILCS 5/17-11)  (from Ch. 46, par. 17-11)
16    Sec. 17-11. On receipt of his ballot the voter shall
17forthwith, and without leaving the inclosed space, retire
18alone, or accompanied by children as provided in Section 17-8,
19to one of the voting booths so provided and shall prepare his
20ballot by making in the appropriate margin or place a cross (X)
21opposite the name of the candidate of his choice for each
22office to be filled, or by writing in the name of the candidate
23of his choice in a blank space on said ticket, making a cross
24(X) opposite thereto; and in case of a question submitted to

 

 

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1the vote of the people, by making in the appropriate margin or
2place a cross (X) against the answer he desires to give. A
3cross (X) in the square in front of the bracket enclosing the
4names of a team of candidates for Governor and Lieutenant
5Governor counts as one vote for each of such candidates.
6Before leaving the voting booth the voter shall fold his
7ballot in such manner as to conceal the marks thereon. He shall
8then vote forthwith in the manner herein provided, except that
9the number corresponding to the number of the voter on the poll
10books shall not be indorsed on the back of his ballot. He shall
11mark and deliver his ballot without undue delay, and shall
12quit said inclosed space as soon as he has voted; except that
13immediately after voting, the voter shall be instructed
14whether the voting equipment, if used, accepted or rejected
15the ballot or identified the ballot as under-voted for a
16statewide constitutional office. A voter whose ballot is
17identified as under-voted may return to the voting booth and
18complete the voting of that ballot. A voter whose ballot is not
19accepted by the voting equipment may, upon surrendering the
20ballot, request and vote another ballot. The voter's
21surrendered ballot shall be initialed by the election judge
22and handled as provided in the appropriate Article governing
23that voting equipment.
24    No voter shall be allowed to occupy a voting booth already
25occupied by another, nor remain within said inclosed space
26more than ten minutes, nor to occupy a voting booth more than

 

 

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1five minutes in case all of said voting booths are in use and
2other voters waiting to occupy the same. No voter not an
3election officer, shall, after having voted, be allowed to
4re-enter said inclosed space during said election. No person
5shall take or remove any ballot from the polling place before
6the close of the poll. No voter shall vote or offer to vote any
7ballot except such as he has received from the judges of
8election in charge of the ballots. Any voter who shall, by
9accident or mistake, spoil his ballot, may, on returning said
10spoiled ballot, receive another in place thereof only after
11the word "spoiled" has been written in ink diagonally across
12the entire face of the ballot returned by the voter.
13    Where voting machines or electronic voting systems are
14used, the provisions of this section may be modified as
15required or authorized by Article 24, 24A, 24B, or 24C,
16whichever is applicable, except that the requirements of this
17Section that (i) the voter must be notified of the voting
18equipment's acceptance or rejection of the voter's ballot or
19identification of an under-vote for a statewide constitutional
20office and (ii) the voter shall have the opportunity to
21correct an under-vote or surrender the ballot that was not
22accepted and vote another ballot shall not be modified.
23    Where a ranked-choice balloting is used for an office
24elected by ranked-choice balloting, the voter may rank his or
25her preferences for the candidates for that office. A voter
26shall not be required to rank all candidates for that office. A

 

 

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1cross (X) for only one candidate shall be interpreted as a vote
2of rank 1 for that particular candidate, with no other
3candidate being ranked. Crosses (X) for 2 or more candidates
4shall not count as votes for any candidate, and shall cause the
5ballot to be identified as under-voted, subject to the
6provisions for under-voted ballots under Section 18-5.
7(Source: P.A. 94-288, eff. 1-1-06; 95-699, eff. 11-9-07.)
 
8    (10 ILCS 5/17-18)  (from Ch. 46, par. 17-18)
9    Sec. 17-18. Immediately upon closing the polls the judges
10shall proceed to canvass the votes polled. They shall first
11count the whole number of ballots in the box. If 2 or more
12ballots are folded together so as to appear to have been cast
13by the same person, all of the ballots so folded together shall
14be marked and returned with the other ballots in the same
15conditions, as near as may be, in which they were found when
16first opened, but shall not be counted. If the remaining
17ballots shall be found to exceed the number of applications
18for ballot, the ballots shall be replaced in the box, and the
19box closed and well shaken and again opened and one of the
20judges shall publicly draw out so many ballots unopened as
21shall be equal to such excess; and the number of the ballots
22agreeing with the poll lists, or being made to agree. Such
23excess ballots shall be marked "Excess-Not Counted" and signed
24by a majority of the judges and shall be placed in the "After
256:00 p.m. Defective Ballots Envelope". The number of excess

 

 

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1ballots shall be noted in the remarks section of the
2Certificate of Results. "Excess" ballots shall not be counted
3in the total of "defective" ballots.
4    The judges shall then proceed to count and record the
5votes; and when the judges of election shall open and read the
6ballots, 3 judges, with at least one from each political party
7from which the precinct judges were chosen, shall carefully
8and correctly mark down upon the three tally sheets the vote
9each candidate has received, in a separate box prepared for
10that purpose, with the name of such candidate at the head of
11such box, and the office designated by the votes such
12candidate shall fill. Whenever a proposition is submitted to
13the electors at the same election, the ballots for or against
14such proposition shall always be canvassed, counted or
15tallied. The votes shall be canvassed in the room or place
16where the election is held, and the judges shall not allow the
17ballot box, or any of the ballots, or the applications for
18ballot, or any of the tally sheets to be removed or carried
19away from such room or place, until the canvass of the vote is
20completed, and the returns carefully enveloped and sealed up
21as provided by law.
22    Where voting machines or electronic voting systems are
23used, the provisions of this section may be modified as
24required or authorized by Article 24 or Article 24A, whichever
25is applicable.
26    Where ranked-choice ballot tallying is used for an office

 

 

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1elected by ranked-choice voting, the provisions of this
2Section may be modified as required or authorized by Section
316-4.2 or Section 17-18.2 of this Code, whichever is
4applicable.
5(Source: P.A. 83-333.)
 
6    (10 ILCS 5/17-18.2 new)
7    Sec. 17-18.2. Ranked-choice ballot tallying.
8    (a) As used in this Section,
9    "Batch elimination" means the simultaneous defeat of
10multiple candidates for whom it is mathematically impossible
11to be elected.
12    "Continuing ballot" means a ballot that is not an
13exhausted ballot.
14    "Continuing candidate" means a candidate who has not been
15defeated.
16    "Exhausted ballot" means a ballot that does not rank any
17continuing candidate, contains an overvote at the highest
18continuing ranking or contains 2 or more sequential skipped
19rankings before its highest continuing ranking.
20    "Highest continuing ranking" means the highest ranking on
21a voter's ballot for a continuing candidate.
22    "Last-place candidate" means the candidate with the fewest
23votes in a round of the ranked-choice voting tallying.
24    "Mathematically impossible to be elected," with respect to
25a candidate, means either:

 

 

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1        (1) the candidate cannot be elected because the
2    candidate's vote total in a round of the ranked-choice
3    voting tabulation plus all votes that could possibly be
4    transferred to the candidate in future rounds from
5    candidates with fewer votes or an equal number of votes
6    would not be enough to surpass the candidate with the
7    next-higher vote total in the round; or
8        (2) the candidate has a lower vote total than a
9    candidate described in subparagraph (1) of this
10    definition.
11    "Overvote" means a circumstance in which a voter has
12ranked more than one candidate at the same ranking.
13    "Round" means an instance of the sequence of voting
14tabulation steps established in subsection (b) of this
15Section.
16    "Skipped ranking" means a circumstance in which a voter
17has left a ranking blank and ranks a candidate at a subsequent
18ranking.
19    (b) Except as provided in subsections (c) and (d) of this
20Section, the following procedures are used to determine the
21winner in an election for an office elected by ranked-choice
22voting. Tallying must proceed in rounds. In each round, the
23number of votes for each continuing candidate must be counted.
24Each continuing ballot counts as one vote for its
25highest-ranked continuing candidate for that round. Exhausted
26ballots are not counted for any continuing candidate. The

 

 

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1round then ends with one of the following 2 potential
2outcomes:
3        (1) If there are 2 or fewer continuing candidates, the
4    candidate with the most votes is declared the winner of
5    the election.
6        (2) If there are more than 2 continuing candidates,
7    the last-place candidate is defeated and a new round
8    begins.
9    (c) A tie under this Section between candidates for the
10most votes in the final round or a tie between last-place
11candidates in any round must be decided by lot, and the
12candidate chosen by lot is defeated. The result of the tie
13resolution must be recorded and reused in the event of a
14recount. Election authorities may resolve prospective ties
15between candidates before the election.
16    (d) Modification of a ranked-choice voting ballot and
17tabulation is permitted in accordance with the following:
18        (1) The number of allowable rankings may be limited to
19    no fewer than 6.
20        (2) Two or more candidates may be defeated
21    simultaneously by batch elimination in any round of
22    tabulation.
23    (e) For all statutory and constitutional provisions in the
24State pertaining to the rights of political parties, the
25number of votes cast for a party's candidate for an office
26elected by ranked-choice voting is the number of votes

 

 

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1credited to that candidate after the initial counting in the
2first round described in subsection (b).
3    (f) The State Board of Elections may adopt rules to
4implement the provisions of this Section.
 
5    (10 ILCS 5/18-5)  (from Ch. 46, par. 18-5)
6    Sec. 18-5. Any person desiring to vote and whose name is
7found upon the register of voters by the person having charge
8thereof, shall then be questioned by one of the judges as to
9his nativity, his term of residence at present address,
10precinct, State and United States, his age, whether
11naturalized and if so the date of naturalization papers and
12court from which secured, and he shall be asked to state his
13residence when last previously registered and the date of the
14election for which he then registered. The judges of elections
15shall check each application for ballot against the list of
16voters registered in that precinct to whom grace period, vote
17by mail, and early ballots have been issued for that election,
18which shall be provided by the election authority and which
19list shall be available for inspection by pollwatchers. A
20voter applying to vote in the precinct on election day whose
21name appears on the list as having been issued a grace period,
22vote by mail, or early ballot shall not be permitted to vote in
23the precinct, except that a voter to whom a vote by mail ballot
24was issued may vote in the precinct if the voter submits to the
25election judges that vote by mail ballot for cancellation. If

 

 

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1the voter is unable to submit the vote by mail ballot, it shall
2be sufficient for the voter to submit to the election judges
3(i) a portion of the vote by mail ballot if the vote by mail
4ballot was torn or mutilated or (ii) an affidavit executed
5before the election judges specifying that (A) the voter never
6received a vote by mail ballot or (B) the voter completed and
7returned a vote by mail ballot and was informed that the
8election authority did not receive that vote by mail ballot.
9If such person so registered shall be challenged as
10disqualified, the party challenging shall assign his reasons
11therefor, and thereupon one of the judges shall administer to
12him an oath to answer questions, and if he shall take the oath
13he shall then be questioned by the judge or judges touching
14such cause of challenge, and touching any other cause of
15disqualification. And he may also be questioned by the person
16challenging him in regard to his qualifications and identity.
17But if a majority of the judges are of the opinion that he is
18the person so registered and a qualified voter, his vote shall
19then be received accordingly. But if his vote be rejected by
20such judges, such person may afterward produce and deliver an
21affidavit to such judges, subscribed and sworn to by him
22before one of the judges, in which it shall be stated how long
23he has resided in such precinct, and state; that he is a
24citizen of the United States, and is a duly qualified voter in
25such precinct, and that he is the identical person so
26registered. In addition to such an affidavit, the person so

 

 

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1challenged shall provide to the judges of election proof of
2residence by producing 2 forms of identification showing the
3person's current residence address, provided that such
4identification may include a lease or contract for a residence
5and not more than one piece of mail addressed to the person at
6his current residence address and postmarked not earlier than
730 days prior to the date of the election, or the person shall
8procure a witness personally known to the judges of election,
9and resident in the precinct (or district), or who shall be
10proved by some legal voter of such precinct or district, known
11to the judges to be such, who shall take the oath following,
12viz:
13    I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I am a resident of
14this election precinct (or district), and entitled to vote at
15this election, and that I have been a resident of this State
16for 30 days last past, and am well acquainted with the person
17whose vote is now offered; that he is an actual and bona fide
18resident of this election precinct (or district), and has
19resided herein 30 days, and as I verily believe, in this State,
2030 days next preceding this election.
21    The oath in each case may be administered by one of the
22judges of election, or by any officer, resident in the
23precinct or district, authorized by law to administer oaths.
24Also supported by an affidavit by a registered voter residing
25in such precinct, stating his own residence, and that he knows
26such person; and that he does reside at the place mentioned and

 

 

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1has resided in such precinct and state for the length of time
2as stated by such person, which shall be subscribed and sworn
3to in the same way. For purposes of this Section, the
4submission of a photo identification issued by a college or
5university, accompanied by either (i) a copy of the
6applicant's contract or lease for a residence or (ii) one
7piece of mail addressed to the person at his or her current
8residence address and postmarked not earlier than 30 days
9prior to the date of the election, shall be sufficient to
10establish proof of residence. Whereupon the vote of such
11person shall be received, and entered as other votes. But such
12judges, having charge of such registers, shall state in their
13respective books the facts in such case, and the affidavits,
14so delivered to the judges, shall be preserved and returned to
15the office of the commissioners of election. Blank affidavits
16of the character aforesaid shall be sent out to the judges of
17all the precincts, and the judges of election shall furnish
18the same on demand and administer the oaths without criticism.
19Such oaths, if administered by any other officer than such
20judge of election, shall not be received. Whenever a proposal
21for a constitutional amendment or for the calling of a
22constitutional convention is to be voted upon at the election,
23the separate blue ballot or ballots pertaining thereto shall
24be placed on top of the other ballots to be voted at the
25election in such manner that the legend appearing on the back
26thereof, as prescribed in Section 16-6 of this Act, shall be

 

 

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1plainly visible to the voter, and in this fashion the ballots
2shall be handed to the voter by the judge.
3    Immediately after voting, the voter shall be instructed
4whether the voting equipment, if used, accepted or rejected
5the ballot or identified the ballot as under-voted. A voter
6whose ballot is identified as under-voted for an office
7elected by ranked-choice voting a statewide constitutional
8office may return to the voting booth and complete the voting
9of that ballot. A voter whose ballot is not accepted by the
10voting equipment may, upon surrendering the ballot, request
11and vote another ballot. If a ballot for an office elected by
12ranked-choice voting is considered under-voted because the
13ballot has crosses (X) for 2 or more candidates, the voter may,
14upon surrendering the ballot, request and vote upon another
15ballot. The voter's surrendered ballot shall be initialed by
16the election judge and handled as provided in the appropriate
17Article governing that voting equipment.
18    The voter shall, upon quitting the voting booth, deliver
19to one of the judges of election all of the ballots, properly
20folded, which he received. The judge of election to whom the
21voter delivers his ballots shall not accept the same unless
22all of the ballots given to the voter are returned by him. If a
23voter delivers less than all of the ballots given to him, the
24judge to whom the same are offered shall advise him in a voice
25clearly audible to the other judges of election that the voter
26must return the remainder of the ballots. The statement of the

 

 

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1judge to the voter shall clearly express the fact that the
2voter is not required to vote such remaining ballots but that
3whether or not he votes them he must fold and deliver them to
4the judge. In making such statement the judge of election
5shall not indicate by word, gesture or intonation of voice
6that the unreturned ballots shall be voted in any particular
7manner. No new voter shall be permitted to enter the voting
8booth of a voter who has failed to deliver the total number of
9ballots received by him until such voter has returned to the
10voting booth pursuant to the judge's request and again quit
11the booth with all of the ballots required to be returned by
12him. Upon receipt of all such ballots the judges of election
13shall enter the name of the voter, and his number, as above
14provided in this Section, and the judge to whom the ballots are
15delivered shall immediately put the ballots into the ballot
16box. If any voter who has failed to deliver all the ballots
17received by him refuses to return to the voting booth after
18being advised by the judge of election as herein provided, the
19judge shall inform the other judges of such refusal, and
20thereupon the ballot or ballots returned to the judge shall be
21deposited in the ballot box, the voter shall be permitted to
22depart from the polling place, and a new voter shall be
23permitted to enter the voting booth.
24    The judge of election who receives the ballot or ballots
25from the voter shall announce the residence and name of such
26voter in a loud voice. The judge shall put the ballot or

 

 

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1ballots received from the voter into the ballot box in the
2presence of the voter and the judges of election, and in plain
3view of the public. The judges having charge of such registers
4shall then, in a column prepared thereon, in the same line of,
5the name of the voter, mark "Voted" or the letter "V".
6    No judge of election shall accept from any voter less than
7the full number of ballots received by such voter without
8first advising the voter in the manner above provided of the
9necessity of returning all of the ballots, nor shall any such
10judge advise such voter in a manner contrary to that which is
11herein permitted, or in any other manner violate the
12provisions of this Section; provided, that the acceptance by a
13judge of election of less than the full number of ballots
14delivered to a voter who refuses to return to the voting booth
15after being properly advised by such judge shall not be a
16violation of this Section.
17    Where ranked-choice ballot tallying is used for an office
18elected by ranked-choice voting, the voter may rank his or her
19preferences for the candidates for that office. A voter shall
20not be required to rank all candidates for that office. A cross
21(X) for only one candidate shall be interpreted as a vote of
22rank 1 for that particular candidate, with no other candidate
23being ranked. Crosses (X) for 2 or more candidates shall not
24count as votes for any candidate, and shall cause the ballot to
25be identified as under-voted, shall be subject to the
26provisions for under-voted ballots in this Section.

 

 

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1(Source: P.A. 98-1171, eff. 6-1-15.)
 
2    (10 ILCS 5/18-9)  (from Ch. 46, par. 18-9)
3    Sec. 18-9. The judges of election shall first count the
4whole number of ballots in the box. If the ballots shall be
5found to exceed the number of applications for ballot, they
6shall reject the ballots, if any, found folded inside of a
7ballot. And if the ballots and the applications for ballot
8still do not agree after such rejection, the ballots shall be
9replaced in the box and the box closed and well shaken, and
10again opened; and one of the judges shall publicly draw out so
11many ballots unopened as shall be equal to such excess. Such
12excess ballots shall be marked "Excess-Not Counted" and signed
13by a majority of judges and shall be placed in the "After 6:00
14p.m. Defective Ballots Envelope". The number of excess ballots
15shall be noted in the remarks section of the Certificate of
16Results. "Excess" ballots shall not be counted in the total of
17"defective" ballots. And the ballots and applications for
18ballot being made to agree in this way, the judges shall
19proceed to count the votes in the following manner: The judges
20shall open the ballots and place those which contain the same
21names together, so that the several kinds shall be in separate
22piles or on separate files. Each of the judges shall examine
23the separate files which are, or are supposed to be, alike, and
24exclude from such files any which may have a name or an
25erasure, or in any manner shall be different from the others of

 

 

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1such file. One of the judges shall then take one file of the
2kind of ballots which contain the same names, and count them by
3tens, carefully examining each name on each of the ballots.
4Such judge shall then pass the ten ballots aforesaid to the
5judge sitting next to him, who shall count them in the same
6manner, who shall then pass them to a third judge, who shall
7also count them in the same manner. Then the third judge shall
8call the names of the persons named in the ten ballots, and the
9offices for which they are designated, and 2 of the judges, who
10did not assist in the counting shall tally ten votes for each
11of such persons, except as herein otherwise provided. When the
12judges shall have gone through such file of ballots,
13containing the same names, and shall count them by tens in the
14same way, and shall call the names of the persons named in the
15ballots and the office for which they are designated, the
16tally judges shall tally the votes by tens for each of such
17persons in the same manner as in the first instance. When the
18counting of each file of ballots which contain the same names
19shall be completed, the tally judges shall compare their
20tallies together and ascertain the total number of ballots of
21that kind so canvassed; and when they agree upon the number,
22one of them shall announce it in a loud voice to the other
23judges. The judges shall then canvass the other kinds of
24ballots which do not correspond, those containing names partly
25from one kind of ballots and partly from another, being those
26from which the name of the person proper to be voted for on

 

 

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1such ballots has been omitted or erased, usually called
2"scratched tickets". They shall be canvassed separately by one
3of the judges sitting between 2 other judges, which judge
4shall call each name to the tally judges and the office for
5which it is designated, and the other judges looking at the
6ballot at the same time, and the tally judges making tally of
7the same. When all the ballots have been canvassed in this
8manner, the tally judges shall compare their tallies together,
9and ascertain the total number of votes received by each
10candidate and when they agree upon the numbers one of them
11shall announce in a loud voice to the judges the number of
12votes received by each candidate on each of the kinds of
13ballots containing his name, the number received by him on
14scratch tickets, and the total number of votes received by
15him.
16    The votes for the offices of Governor and Lieutenant
17Governor shall be counted and tallied jointly.
18    Where voting machines or electronic voting systems are
19used, the provisions of this section may be modified as
20required or authorized by Article 24 or Article 24A, whichever
21is applicable.
22    Where ranked-choice ballot tallying is used for an office
23elected by ranked-choice voting, the provisions of this
24Section may be modified as required or authorized by Section
2516-4.2 of this Code and the judges shall abide by Section
2617-18.2 of this Code, as applicable.

 

 

HB2716- 33 -LRB103 29632 BMS 56028 b

1(Source: P.A. 89-700, eff. 1-17-97.)